It is the will of God that a Christian
Congregation conform to His divine Word in doctrine and practice (Psalm
119:105; Matthew 28:18-20; Galatians1:6-8;
II Timothy 4:1-5) and that all things be done decently and in order (I
Corinthians 14:40).† Therefore, we the
members of FaithLutheranChurch, located at Eldersburg, Maryland accept and
subscribe to the following Constitution and Bylaws, in accordance with which
all spiritual and material affairs of our congregation shall be governed.

†††††††††††

1.NAME

The name of
this congregation shall be Faith Lutheran Church of Eldersburg, Maryland.

†††††

2.PURPOSE

As a fellowship of Lutheran Christians
in the assembly of all believers in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, we

Vcelebrate an awesome relationship with Jesus,

Vinvite others to know Him, and

Vtogether transform the
world.

†With the help of Almighty God, we commit
ourselves to

Vhonor and glorify Him,

Vdo His will,

Vmanifest unity of faith,

Vstudy God's Word,

Vpartake of the Sacraments,

Vgrow in our relationship to God and to each other,

Vcarry the Gospel to all people,

Vand share His
spiritual and material blessings.

We pledge to express our love and faith in Jesus by
supporting and actively furthering God's ministry in our homes, church,
community, and world.

†

3.CONFESSIONAL
STANDARD

3.1.This congregation accepts all the canonical books of the Old
and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the sole rule of faith and
life.

3.2.This congregation accepts all the Symbolic books of the LutheranChurch contained in
the Book of Concord of the year 1580 as a correct and sound exposition of
Christian Doctrine taken from and in full accord with the Holy Scriptures.

††
These confessional writings are

The Ecumenical
Creeds†† (the Apostolic, the Nicene, and
the Athanasian);

The unaltered
Augsburg Confession of 1530;

The Apology of
the Augsburg Confession;

The Catechisms
of Martin Luther;

The Smalcald Articles and

The
Formula of Concord.

3.3.The Pastoral office of the congregation shall be conferred
only upon such ministers and candidates whose beliefs are in accord with the
confessional standard of this congregation and as have been approved by the
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod as being qualified Pastors of the church.

4.SYNODICAL
AFFILIATION

This congregation shall be affiliated
with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Southeastern District so long
as the confessions and constitution of said Synod and District are in accord
with those of this congregation.† The
authority of said Synod will not be legislative, but in an advisory capacity
over the congregation.† It shall be the
duty of the congregation and its individual members to accept the
responsibility to support the work of Synod and to send its pastor and a lay
delegate to the District conventions of Synod.

5.MEMBERSHIP

The membership of this congregation
includes Baptized Members, Confirmed Members, and Voting Members as defined in
the bylaws.

6.ORGANIZATION

6.1.Votersí
Assembly

The Votersí Assembly shall consist of
all voting members present at a regular or special meeting of the congregation.
The congregation, through the Votersí Assembly, shall have final authority in
managing its internal and external affairs.

The Votersí Assembly shall have sole
responsibility to perform the following actions:

6.1.1. Call or remove
a called worker,

6.1.2. Purchase or
sell real estate or buildings,

6.1.3. Adopt the
annual financial plan,

6.1.4. Adopt the
ministry plan,

6.1.5. Amend this
constitution, bylaws, and / or Articles of Incorporation,

6.1.6. Dissolve the
congregation,

6.1.7. Elect
officials of the church, as set forth in the bylaws,

6.1.8. Accept and
terminate members of the congregation.

6.2.Servant
Leadership Team (SaLT)

The Servant Leadership Team shall be
the governing body of the congregation and is responsible to administer all the
congregationís affairs except those matters outlined in† Section 6.1 of this constitution.

The Servant Leadership has overall
responsibility for the creation and effectiveness of the Ministry Plan and the
creation and management of the annual financial plan.† Final approval of these plans is the
responsibility of the Votersí Assembly.

6.3.††Officers
and Boards

The officers of this congregation shall
be such officers as the Articles of Incorporation prescribe. The officers and
boards shall have no authority beyond that which has been conferred upon them
in the constitution or bylaws.

7.PROPERTY
RIGHTS OF THE CONGREGATION

7.1.This congregation, in its capacity as a religious
corporation established under the laws of the State of Maryland, may receive,
acquire, hold title to, and manage such real estate and other property as it may
deem necessary to accomplish its purpose as a congregation and may sell or
dispose of such real estate and other property or any part thereof; and this
congregation shall have all the rights and powers that are granted by the laws
of the State of Maryland to religious organizations and corporations, and
charitable corporations.

†

7.2.If matters arise in the congregation which could lead to a
division or separation, the advice of the District should be sought.† Should a separation in the congregation
occur, the entire property of the congregation, the corporate identity of FaithLutheranChurch, Eldersburg,
and all rights connected therewith shall remain with those members who hold
fast to this Constitution, and who remain a part of the Lutheran Church, Missouri
Synod.† Any disputes shall be resolved
using the binding arbitration process outlined by the District.

†

7.3.In the event the
congregation shall disband, the corporate charter shall be terminated and† the property and
all rights connected therewith shall be transferred to the District of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod of which the congregation is a member, provided such membership
is in accordance with 4.0 SYNODICAL AFFILIATION, and subject to the default
provisions in any then existing loan(s) or mortgage(s) on which the corporate
entity may then be liable.

8.DECISIONS

All
congregational matters decided by the Votersí Assembly shall be decided by a
simple majority of the voting members present at a properly convened meeting of
the Voterís assembly, except as otherwise provided in this constitution and
bylaws.

9.AMENDMENTS

This constitution and
associated bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast in
a properly convened meeting of the Votersí Assembly provided the amendment has
been submitted in accordance with Article 9.1.

†

9.1.PROCEDURE FOR
SUBMITTING PROPOSED AMENDMENTS†††††††††

9.1.1. †Any proposed
amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws must be in writing.† Said written proposal shall be in proper
form, consistent with the form of the existing Constitution and By-Laws, and
shall be appropriately numbered as to its intended position.

9.1.2. †Prior to submission at a Votersí Assembly, a
proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Servant Leadership Team.† The Servant Leadership Team shall review the
proposed amendment for appropriateness, legality, and form.† The Servant Leadership Team shall prepare a
review of the proposed admission, addressing legality, ripple effect, and
practical considerations. A written summary of this review including the
Servant Leadership Teamís endorsement or disapproval of the amendment shall be
included in the submission of the amendment to the Votersí Assembly.

9.1.3. †The amendment and the review outlined in
Article 9.1.2 must be published and distributed no less than 2 weeks prior to
the Votersí Assembly meeting in which the amendment will be presented for
consideration.† Publication of the
proposed amendment may be accomplished by any reasonable means including, but
not limited to congregational mailing, distribution of the written material at
a prior Votersí Assembly or at any congregational assembly, including following
a worship service, publication in the bulletin, or publication in the
newsletter.